Abstract
This year's final issue features a Special Topic on the essential relationship of anesthesia and analgesia to gynecologic surgery and care. Jeffrey Huang, MD, a leader in academic anesthesiology and an H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute colleague, has assembled a group of expert colleagues who provide an excellent series of articles on anesthesia and analgesia topics. While anesthesiologists have been providing care to gynecologic patients for more than a century, the articles in this Special Topic issue discuss recent updates and advances in this field.
As gynecologic surgeons, we are treating an expanding population of women who are elderly, have major comorbidities, may need to be in steep Trendelenburg positioning for extended periods of time, and/or require highly complex procedures. The challenges that the anesthesia team faces with these higher-risk groups of women are often greater than those faced by the surgeon who is performing the operation.
Anesthesiologists are our partners and we must work closely with these specialists before, during, and (at times) after surgery to achieve the best results. To collaborate effectively with a team of anesthesiologists we must have a good understanding of the types of care that they provide to our patients. The articles in Dr. Huang's Special Topic issue provide a primer for gynecologic surgeons that will help us fulfill this responsibility and appreciate the more-recent aspects of perioperative care better that we might consider incorporating into practice.
In addition to performing surgical procedures, gynecologists will often assume responsibility for the care of women with chronic pelvic pain. Pain may result from a source that can be identified but yet has an elusive etiology, and/or may be very difficult to treat adequately. Several of the articles in this issue's Special Topic inform us about the potential ways our anesthesia colleagues may be able to assist in managing patients with chronic pelvic pain.
As a fellow gynecologic surgeon, I encourage you to maintain a close working relationship with your anesthesiology colleagues for the purpose of optimizing perioperative and pain-related patient care. I hope you will benefit from reading these articles and would be interested in your thoughts by way of a Letter to the Editor.
—Mitchel S. Hoffman, MD
Editor-in-Chief